“Rude?” he snapped. “You made dinner reservations for me with a stranger without talking to me about it and I’m being rude? This is it! I’m not doing this anymore! You have interfered with my life for the last time!”
The argument had gone on for hours and even though his father had come home and tried to calm things down, it was too late. The damage was done. Mason had walked to his room, packed a bag and walked out.
And hadn’t talked to either parent since.
He spent a week staying at Magnolia on the Beach - a small local hotel - and frantically combed the real estate ads looking for a place to live. The house was a complete godsend and when it was available immediately, he knew it was meant to be his. Furnishing it had been a breeze since his cousin Mallory owned the local decor place in town and helped him and then his sisters had both taken turns bringing some of his things from home over to him. They could be total pains in the ass at times, but he was thankful for them right now.
It was quiet and for a long minute he sat there and enjoyed it and then...not so much. He wasn’t used to it and he had a feeling it would be a while before he was. Suddenly the thought of sitting home eating pizza wasn’t quite so appealing, but then again, neither was going out to a bar or going out to eat alone.
Maybe he should’ve been the fifth wheel.
“This is ridiculous,” he murmured coming to his feet. He’d lived in this town his entire life. Surely he could go out and grab something to eat and maybe run into a friend or two and kill some time before coming back here alone.
Or maybe...not alone.
Hell, he could finally bring a woman home instead of either going to her place or going to a motel!
The idea had merit.
But then…it didn’t.
Honestly, he was tired, sweaty, and hungry. There was no shame in admitting that a quiet night in his own home was really what he wanted. Still, now he didn’t want pizza, he wanted something with a little more substance. Feeling like he had a bit of a plan, he walked with purpose into his new en suite bathroom to shower so he could go out and grab something to eat before settling in for the night with some Netflix.
“I think my virginity is growing back.”
“Engine grease under your fingernails isn’t very attractive, Scar. Maybe that’s why guys aren’t banging down your door to ask you out. But that’s just my opinion.”
Scarlett Jones looked down at her hands and frowned.
Damn.
With a shrug, she walked back into her bathroom to rewash her hands. Yeah, she wasn’t a girly girl. She grew up working in her father’s garage alongside him and her three brothers and it turned out she really had a gift for working on motorcycles. If the engine grease and the smell of gasoline on her didn’t turn guys off, the fact that she was fiercely independent did.
Did it bother her? Yes.
Enough to make her quit? No.
Glancing up at her reflection, Scarlett couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong with her. In just about every other aspect of her life, she was confident–sometimes overly so. She was smart and caring and always willing to help out anyone in need. Everyone was always saying how great she was.
And yet, she hadn’t been in a relationship in a long time.
Like…a really long time.
Hence the fear of her virginity growing back.
Turning off the water, she shook out her hands as she continued to stare at herself. While there wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about her, she was bold enough to know she was attractive–long, wavy brown hair, dark brown eyes, and -if she did say so herself, a pretty kickass body. So why couldn’t she seem to attract a decent guy?
“You’re not pissed at me, are you?”
Reaching for a hand towel, Scarlett pulled herself from her thoughts and looked over at her best friend Courtney. With a smile, she replied, “Nah. That would be a pretty stupid reason to be mad. I had grease under my nails and you were just pointing it out. No biggie.”
Only…it did bother her.
Not that Courtney had pointed it out, but that it was there in the first place and she hadn’t noticed it.
And it probably wasn’t the first time.
“Are you sure? Because you just sort of up and walked away.”
Scarlett tossed the towel aside before holding up her hands and wiggling her fingers. “To get rid of the grease!” With a small laugh, she walked past Courtney and back out into her bedroom. “Okay, where are we going tonight? Do I need to change?”
Looking down at herself, she seriously hoped not. She was comfortable. For the most part, they stuck to the local pubs and going out in jeans and a nice top were fine. But lately, Courtney had been wanting to broaden their horizons and that meant dressing up more.
She bit her tongue to prevent her from complaining out loud.
Courtney walked across the room and flopped down on the bed with a dramatic sigh.
That can’t be good, Scarlett thought, but waited her friend out.
Busying herself with straightening up her room and not looking for something else to wear, she mentally prayed Courtney would just say what was on her mind.
“I think I want to move,” she finally said and Scarlett immediately gasped in shock.
“What? Why? Where?”
Sitting up, Courtney flipped her hair over her shoulder and sighed again. “Anywhere. I’m just never going to do anything or meet anyone if I stay here. I’m over small-town life.”
They’d had this conversation multiple times and for the most part, Scarlett was used to it. Walking over, she sat down on the bed beside her. “Okay, what brought this on? Last weekend we went out and had a great time and I seem to remember seeing you make out with Mike Ryan.” Then she winked. “And I distinctly remember watching you wave goodbye to me as you left with him.”
Courtney fell back on the bed. “Yeah, and it was good and the sex was good, but…it’s like it’s always the same guys! We’ve been hanging out with the same people we’ve known since elementary school!”
“That’s not true. We’re heading into the peak tourist season! You know it’s going to be crazy around here for the next six weeks or so. Maybe you’ll meet someone…”
“You don’t get it, Scar. I don’t want to be the girl the tourists hook up with for a quick weekend fling or the girl the locals pass the time with until they can hit on the tourists! I’m just…I’m ready for a change!”
“Okay, okay,” she soothed, falling back next to Courtney. “How about this…let’s just go out tonight and grab something to eat and then we’ll pick up some ice cream on the way home and just have a mellow night? How does that sound?”
“Boring,” Courtney said with a pout. “And the exact reason why I’m done with small town life.”
“Hey! I’m kind of taking offense to that! I know I’m not the most exciting person in the world, but…” Sitting up, Scarlett immediately bounced off the bed.
“You’re right, you’re right, you’re right,” Courtney said, standing up. “That was uncalled for.” She gave Scarlett a long hug before pulling back. “I’m just in a funk and I’m bored and…don’t listen to me. I’ll get over it.”